Iga Swiatek, the Paris love affair

 

Iga Swiatek 2-time French Open & Grand Slam Champion!!

 

The world No.1 seems unstoppable as she surpasses Serena Williams' career-best unbeaten run.

For most tennis players, winning their first Grand Slam title is a moment they will never forget and often never surpass.

For Iga Swiatek, winning a second Roland-Garros title in three years, when the eyes of the world were on her, meant even more than her first.

While her first triumph, in 2020, came almost out of the blue, this time she was the bookmakers favourite, the one everyone knew they had to beat, which brings its own pressure.

Not only did she deal with it, she dealt with it in style and on Saturday, in front of Polish royalty in the form of football star Robert Lewandowski, she produced a performance worthy of a world No.1 as she beat American teenager Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-3.

“It feels amazing really, very different from 2020,” said the 21-year-old Swiatek. “I feel more prepared, more solid. I can celebrate a little bit more.

“I think in 2020 the main thing that I felt was confusion, because I have never really believed 100 per cent that I can actually win a Grand Slam.

“This time it was pure work and pure... I don't know. Just with everything that was going on, I'm also more aware of how it is to win a Grand Slam and what it takes and how every puzzle has to come together and basically every aspect of the game has to work.

“With that awareness, I was even more happy and even more proud of myself, because in 2020 it was all, I just felt that I'm lucky. This time I felt like I really did the work.”

Swiatek picked up her second Grand Slam title with a performance full of power, precision and maturity as she blew away Gauff in the first set and then, when the 18-year-old threatened to fight back, slammed the door in her face to win her sixth straight tournament.

The Pole is the first woman to win six events in a row since Justine Henin in 2007/8 and her 35th straight win puts her level with Venus Williams – and one ahead of Serena Williams – in terms of the most consecutive wins this century on the WTA tour.

“It may seem pretty weird but having that 35th win and kind of doing something more than Serena did, it's something special,” she said. “Because I always wanted to be, I don't know, to have some kind of a record. In tennis it's pretty hard after Serena's career.

“So basically that really hit me, you know. Obviously winning a Grand Slam too, but this one was pretty special because I felt like I've done something that nobody ever done, and maybe it's going to be even more. Yeah, this one was special.”

Lewandowski was sat just behind the Swiatek player box, where her coaches wore shirts which read: “You didn’t wake up to be ordinary”.

Luckily, Swiatek had not spotted Poland’s most famous footballer. If she had, she might have lost her concentration.

"I didn't know Lewandowski was there, and I'm happy because I would get so stressed,” she said. “I don’t know if he’s a huge tennis fan. Wow, he’s been like the top athlete in our country for so many years, it’s hard to believe actually that he came to watch me. I hope he liked it. I'm just overwhelmed.”

Swiatek admitted that she had felt more pressure than ever before, to fulfil everyone’s expectations and show she was worthy of being No.1.

“It is like basically the hardest part of the job, I would say, because you can see on Grand Slams that there are a lot of surprises,” she said. “It's not easy to cope with all that different atmosphere and the pressure, because everybody is preparing for the Grand Slam always.

“For me, I felt the baggage. The hardest thing is like not letting yourself think about that and over-analyse and not letting yourself think about all the numbers and the odds.


“I have been doing that for a few months now, and for sure, two weeks here were harder, also because you guys keep reminding me about all this stuff. But it's part of the work and I'm getting better and better at it, and that's also something that I'm proud of.”

Swiatek will now head to the grass-court season as the favourite for Wimbledon, where she won the junior title in 2018 but where she has yet to go past the last 16 in the women’s event.

Expectations will be sky-high from outside, but not from inside, she said.

“My coach believes I can win more matches on grass,” she said. “I don't know about that yet. But I would like to add like one or two. Honestly, grass is always tricky. I actually like the part that I have no expectations there. It's something kind of refreshing.

“I'm going to just prepare my best and maybe with his experiences that he had with Aga Radwanska, it was her favourite surface, so maybe he's going to give me some tips that are actually going to be really helpful, and I'm going to enjoy playing on grass a little bit more.”

rolandgarros.com

* Matched Venus Williams’ run of 35 straight victories in 2000.

* Only the 10th woman to win multiple Roland Garros singles titles in the Open Era (since 1968). Having just turned 21 on Tuesday, Swiatek is the fourth youngest player to triumph more than once in Paris -- only Monica Seles, Stefanie Graf, and Chris Evert were younger.

* Youngest woman to win multiple majors since Maria Sharapova won her second Grand Slam title aged 19 at the 2006 US Open.

* Sixth title of the year, all coming in a row during her winning streak (following Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart and Rome). She is the first player to win six titles in a row since Justine Henin in 2007 and 2008.

* If Swiatek can win her next match, she will hold the best winning streak of the century alone and tie Monica Seles’ run of 36 straight victories from 1990. Another victory after that would tie Martina Hingis’ 37-match winning streak from 1997.

Well she flipped that switch again didn't she?. I have honestly run out of words to describe how amazing Iga Swiatek is when it comes to finals. 

She just always seems to reach her highest level right at the end of a tournament and the final in particular. It's an ability and mentality only true champions seem to possess. 

I truly hope she gets a decent break to relax and not think about tennis for a while. Because the mental strength this win streak requires must be extremely exhausting. 

Iga is now the first Polish 2 time French Open and Grand Slam Champion, at the age of 21. 

It's just incredible. 

I watched the final with my mom and when Iga shed a few tears as they played Poland's national anthem we got teary eyed along with her. 

Feeling enormous national pride is not something that we get to enjoy every day, so it felt wonderful for my mom and I to experience it together.

I'm looking forward to Iga playing on the grass something tells me with Tomasz Wiktorowski in her corner, grass season will yield some decent results too. Rest up Iga see you on the green stuff!.  

Iga Swiatek makes it 34 consecutive wins to reach 2nd Roland Garros Final!

Back into the Roland-Garros final for the second time in three years and riding a head-turning winning streak, world No.1 Iga Swiatek is a player at the peak of her powers.

The Polish player confounds her opponents, and overwhelms them with her stellar court coverage and aggressive game style – qualities that were on full display in her 6-2, 6-1 rout of Daria Kasatkina on Thursday at Court Philippe-Chatrier.

But ever the champion, Swiatek is not satisfied yet. Nor is she anywhere close to her highest level, as she told press in a revealing self-assessment after that semi-final.

“I'm even more happy with the performance than after the previous match,” Swiatek said, referring to her similarly lop-sided 6-3, 6-2 win over Jessica Pegula. “Because I feel like my game is getting more and more solid.

“I can really loosen up when I'm getting advantage and when I'm having a break, so that's great. I feel like I'm playing better every match.”

A Swiatek that is playing loose and getting better with every match? That would send an ominous message to the rest of the field – except that she’s already swept them aside over six matches at Roland-Garros.

The Pole came into the French capital having not lost a match since February – a 34-match winning run that has seen Swiatek lift trophies in Doha, Indian Wells and Miami during the hard court swing, and continue without missing a beat by winning Stuttgart and Rome in the build-up to Roland-Garros.

While others may have crumpled under the spotlight and pressure, the 21-year-old has been taking everything in stride and avoiding expectations – with a bit of help from her team.

“I try not to hold it inside, and I try to talk with the whole team about it,” she said. “It's just cool that I have people around that I trust, and I can just talk about some stuff over lunch.

“But for sure the pep talks that I have before the match are really helpful, both from the coach [Tomasz Wiktorowski] and both from Daria [Abramowicz, my psychologist]. We already have this kind of routine that is working perfectly, and we are trying to hold on to that.”

With her sports psychologist in tow, Swiatek has been winning the mental game at Roland-Garros, as well as the tactical one. She stayed cool under the glare of many a viewfinder, dropping just one set en route to the final.

Not to mention, Swiatek developed an aura during her winning run, with her opponents already on edge by the time they strike the first ball. And with good reason: when she lost the opening set in her fourth-round to Zheng Qinwen, Swiatek responded by raising her level and winning 12 of the next 14 games, 6-7(5), 6-0, 6-2.

“When I learned how to also improve during tournaments and how to loosen up during tournaments, I think it's pretty great, because the beginnings are tough,” she said. “Here I feel better and better every match, so I hope it's going to stay that way.

“It's a nice feeling to have, because usually, it's sometimes the opposite. For other players when they are going to higher rounds they are more stressed, and I'm working pretty hard at the beginning to avoid that.”

Swiatek has indeed been looking positively serene as the tournament draws to a close. She’s one win away from lifting her second Roland-Garros trophy, with 18-year-old Coco Gauff playing in her first Grand Slam final standing in her way.

It will be a full-circle role reversal for Swiatek. Back in 2020, the unheralded Pole ranked No.54 stunned the world when she toppled world No.2 Simona Halep – snapping the heavily favoured Romanian’s own 17-match win streak on her way to the trophy.

Gauff could now do the same to her in the final. But Swiatek – who owns the 2-0 lead in their head-to-head – is determined to stick to the game plan, for one last bit of magic on Saturday.

“Just being able to be in the final again, it's great,” said Swiatek. “Especially when I didn't know actually how I'm gonna play here after so many tournaments that I played.

“It seemed kind of obvious for me that the streak may come to an end soon. So I just wanted to take it really step by step. I didn't have any exact goals on this tournament.

“Just seeing how my game is developing every match, it's something that's giving me a lot of hope and I'm just proud of myself.”

rolandgarros.com

Looks like I was stressing for nothing. Iga as she has done so many times before this season turned the switch on again and played one of her best matches of the tournament. An even more impressive effort than her quarter final against Jessica Pegula. 

Granted Kasatkina was nowhere near her best level and made a lot of errors. But it was also Iga's aggressiveness and taking the ball early that helped her really control the match and not allow her opponent room to breathe. Which is something I said she would have to do in my quarter finals blog post. 

She will now face someone younger than her. It'll be interesting to see who really handles their nerves better Gauff up to this point has been very impressive other than having a few tight moments at the beginning of her semi today she played with control and freedom. But being in a semi final and a final are often two very different things. 

So it'll be fascinating to see how Gauff handles the occasion of being in her first ever Grand Slam final. 

Iga has had some experience at this particular tournament having won it 2 years ago and she has this uncanny ability of playing her best in finals (she has won 7 of the 8 finals played in her career thus far). 

If both play at their highest level it could be the most competitive women's final Roland Garros has had in years, and I am very much looking forward to it. 

Saturday cannot come soon enough!. Jazda Iga, you've made it this far you can take it all the way.

Iga Swiatek makes it 33 consecutive wins to get back into Roland Garros semis

The world No.1 needed just 89 minutes to soar into the final four, where she meets Kasatkina

Another challenger swept aside, Iga Swiatek is just two matches away from reclaiming her Roland-Garros crown.

The 2020 champion toasted her 21st birthday on Tuesday and celebrated by extending her winning streak to 33 matches with a commanding 6-3, 6-2 victory over Jessica Pegula on Wednesday.

The world No.1 returns to the semi-finals with world No.20 Daria Kasatkina standing in her path.

Thursday will witness Swiatek's third career Grand Slam semi-final appearance and her second of the year.

Story of the match

Once again Swiatek made a fast start, skipping to the backhand corner to unleash an inside-out forehand winner for an immediate break.

With the Pole racing 40-0 up, it looked like world No.11 Pegula was in for a torrid time on Court Philippe-Chatrier, but the American dug in and claimed five successive points to rebound for 1-all. An eight-minute hold later and Pegula was on the front foot.

Not quite. Swiatek capped a riveting rally with a cross-court backhand winner, moments before sprinkling in some true magic.

The 21-year-old chased what seemed to be a lost cause from a deft Pegula drop shot and mid-slide, nearly in the split position, directed the ball towards the umpire’s chair for a decisive 4-3 break.

The Pole was forcing Pegula into going for fine margins and a brace of forehands narrowly missed the mark, handing the top seed a one-set lead.

Pegula, competing in her third major quarter-final - and first one clay - clattered an inside-in backhand to keep in touch.

A crafty wrong-footing forehand capped a 26-shot rally for a rare break opportunity. But the forehand return slipped off radar just at the wrong time. Swiatek escaped and won three consecutive games to motor 4-1 in front.

Pegula was on the back foot too much, Swiatek converting her fourth match point with a slingshot backhand, raising her right arm up to the sky in celebration.

Key stats

The world No.1 scribbled her wrong age on the broadcast camera, but the most important number was 33 for the number of successive wins.

Swiatek stands alone as the third-longest streak this century on the WTA tour, which includes prevailing in 48 of her past 50 sets on court.

The 21-year-old (Not 22, Iga) enjoyed a successful afternoon at the net, winning 9/10 points up front.

She was also impressive on her second serve, winning 16/20 (75 per cent) of the points behind it, avoiding Jessica's punishing return game.

What the players said

“I guess flying wasn’t a good option, because she was playing so low. I actually needed to not fly,” joked Swiatek in her post-match interview.

“It was really hard as sometimes she was changing the rhythm. I’m happy, I was playing with good dynamics and pushed her back a fair bit.”

Asked about her pre-match nerves, Swiatek quickly retorted: “Oh yeah I do, I think if I stop being nervous, something weird is going on, because there are always nerves, but stress can sometimes be a positive thing.

“It can make you more active and intense, so I try to use it that way to get my best performances.

rolandgarros.com

Back in the Roland Garros semis!. 

Kasatkina could be tricky so I never underestimate her. 

And yes Iga has won their last 3 meetings but those were all on hard courts. They have never faced off on clay so that alone could be very interesting. 

But I'm hoping that just like today when Iga is playing an opponent who's familiar she'll be less stressed and stays fully focused. 

And that by playing aggressive and taking time away from Kastkina it'll allow Iga to stay on the front foot and prevent Kasatkina from implementing too much of her variety. 

Kasatkina has been playing extremely well this tournament so well in fact that she has not lost a set and very few games ( I think she has lost less games than Iga did in 2020 when she won it). 

So again won't be easy. But Iga will be Kasatkina's first real test as well, because the players she has faced while they've been good they're nowhere near Iga's caliber I also think nerves will play a large role in this match. 

Kasatkina had a tough time closing out her quarter final so that might be something Iga can use. Keep putting pressure on her which will more than likely cause some unforced errors. 

But all this is speculative of course and both players will have to handle their nerves and be on their game if they want to win it. 

And tomorrow I am hoping that winner will be Iga. Jazda!.

Iga Swiatek survives scare to reach 3rd Roland Garros Quarter-final

Top seed Iga Swiatek survived a big scare to keep her Roland-Garros title hopes alive as she beat Chinese teenager Zheng Qinwen 6-7(5), 6-0, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals on Monday, extending her winning streak to 32 matches.

The 2020 champion squandered five set points in the opening set as the 19-year-old Zheng won five straight points to win the tiebreak after 82 minutes.

But after world No.74 Zheng had a medical timeout for a right thigh injury at 3-0 down in the second set, the world No.1 pulled away for a hard-earned victory after two hours and 45 minutes.

Swiatek, who is into her third straight Roland-Garros quarter-final, will play American Jessica Pegula, the No 11 seed, in the last eight.
Story of the match

Zheng had beaten Simona Halep on her way to round four of a Grand Slam for the first time and right from the start, Swiatek could tell that she would have to be on her toes. And so it proved as the 19-year-old gave her a huge scare.

With a big forehand and a backhand reminiscent of Li Na, China’s first and to date only Grand Slam singles champion, Zheng forced two break points in the opening game.

But Swiatek saved both, the first with a thunderous forehand winner and then broke in the next game before holding again to lead 3-0.

In her run of 31 straight wins, Swiatek had handed out 15 bagel sets but Zheng avoided that in the opening set with a superb serve-and-volley combination and then, with her confidence rising, broke Swiatek to get back on serve with a series of big-hitting groundstrokes.

But Swiatek steadied herself and broke Zheng right back in the sixth game, a sharp backhand return forcing the Chinese to attempt a drop shot, which fell short to give the world No.1 a 4-2 lead. Zheng threatened to break back again but Swiatek held for 5-2, fist pumping.

Zheng held for 5-3 and at 40-15, Swiatek looked set to close out the set only for her opponent to save both set points and then a third, before Swiatek netted a tight backhand to hand back the break again.

Suddenly, the top seed was looking rattled. Zheng held for 5-5 and with the help of two superb drop shots after lengthy rallies, she forced two break points to go ahead for the first time. Swiatek saved the first with an ace and the second with a brilliant forehand and held on to lead 6-5.

The 12th game was a mini-classic in itself. Zheng forced Swiatek to play her very best tennis and put a smash away to end a brilliant point and give herself a fourth set point. Zheng saved it with a big backhand and then a fifth with a big serve, before holding to force a tiebreak.

Zheng led 2-0 but Swiatek won five straight points to lead 5-2 only for the Chinese to reel off five straight points herself, seemingly with no nerves, clinching the set when Swiatek framed a backhand wide, she had the set.

Both women took bathroom breaks before the start of the second and Swiatek emerged carrying a set of notes.

Having removed her sweatshirt midway through the first set, Swiatek put it back on at the start of the second and immediately broke, helped by one double fault from the Chinese teenager.

Swiatek saved a break point in the next game with a superb volley and another to lead 2-0 before breaking for a second time to lead 3-0. Zheng called the trainer for what looked like a problem with her right leg and after a medical timeout, she emerged with heavy strapping on her right thigh.

The injury changed everything. Swiatek raced through the rest of the set for her 15th bagel set of the year.

Zheng then removed the strapping from her leg in the opening game of the third. She was broken early in the final set but steadied herself and Swiatek struggled to deal with an injured opponent.

The Chinese hung in well until 4-2 but a double fault gave the Pole a second break and she made no mistake as she served out for victory.
Key stats

As you might imagine for a tiebreak set, the first set was pretty even, with very little to choose between the two.

The only area in which Swiatek was having slightly more success was on the Zheng second serve. In the first set, the teenager was winning just 33 per cent of points on second serve, compared to 60 per cent for the world No.1.

Over the entire match, it was even more in Swiatek’s favour; Zheng winning 30 per cent and Swiatek 64 per cent.

Swiatek also had more success on break points, taking 7/14, compared to just 2/10 from Zheng.

The Chinese also hit more winners than Swiatek in the opening set but by the end of the match, Swiatek had completely turned things around with 32 winners to 21 for Zheng.
What the players said

Iga Swiatek: “She’s playing amazing tennis. I’ve never had a chance to play her and I was surprised by some of her shots. Her topspin is amazing, huge congrats to her, it’s a huge tournament, it’s a good result. I’m pretty happy I could come back after a pretty frustrating first set when I held the lead, proud of myself that I’m still in the tournament.

On her quarter-final against Pegula: “(I’ll take it) the same as any other match, honestly. Quarter-final is such a stressful round, hopefully I’m going to be able to play my game. I know how Jessica can play, she’s a had a great season, I know how dangerous she can be.”

rolandgarros.com

What can I say about this match, I knew it was going to be a tough one I just didn't quite know to what degree.

When Iga was serving for the first set after being broken I honestly thought she had things under control and it'd be a fairly straight forward straight sets win. 

But the pressure of deep shots and the spin her opponent was able to create on the ball really surprised Iga. And in turn made her panic a bit at times. 

Her opponent being injured after the first set turned out to be a bit of a lucky break. Although it also meant Iga had to concentrate even harder to keep her focus. It was a match that was far from perfect, I would go as far as to say scrappy and gritty. 

But I think it'll only help Iga going forward. Give her further belief that even when she's not performing at her best all the way through the match she can still find a way to navigate through it.. 

This sort of mentality is something she has developed this year thanks to her new coach. Iga of 2021 would have probably lost this one in straights. 

I will admit I had my doubts even in the 3rd set after her opponents pain killers kicked in and she started playing better. 

But I also knew Iga has had matches like this before so I knew she was capable of fighting and toughing out a physical battle if needed. 

Samonova's 3 hour tussle in Stuttgart comes to mind. So I knew she had a good record of coming back from a set down (7-0 for the year in fact).

I think if anything today showed that despite how it may appear at times with her now 32 straight wins Iga is not invincible. She's very human and what she's doing is quite difficult physically but especially mentally. 

And the pressure of being World #1, the only top ten player left in the draw and being expected to win is immense. 

It's completely normal the fact she is able to recover is what's impressive. I think this win will only give her confidence. 

I think it'll allow her to reset and play better in her next match with an opponent that unlike Zheng she's actually very familiar with. 

Perhaps that unfamiliarity is what made this one so difficult as well. Or the presence of her father in her box. Either way she has managed to survive and we move on to the next challenge. 

Jazda Iga!

On a side note congrats on becoming just the 5th woman in the 2000's to win 15 straight matches as world #1. Joining the company of Martina Hingis, Serena, Williams, Justine Henin, Dinara Safina

And on tying Justine Henin as the last woman to win 32 straight matches since the year 2000.

Seems this year is all about writing herself into the tennis history books. Love it.  

Iga Swiatek moves into Roland Garros round of 16 with 31 consecutive victory

We're running out of superlatives for world No.1 Iga Swiatek, who “switched modes” to fend off danger in her third round on Saturday, making her way back to the Roland-Garros last-16 stage for the fourth time in as many appearances.

The 20-year-old extended her astonishing winning streak to 31 matches by toppling world No.95 Danka Kovinic 6-3, 7-5 on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Chinese teen Zheng Qinwen awaits in the next round.

Story of the match

The Pole produced a world No.1 level from the very first shot, claiming the opening six points.

The second game was a microcosm of what makes the top seed such a difficult puzzle to solve.

Swiatek was ramping up the pressure with cannonball shots that clipped the lines, lassoing shoulder height forehands, just like her idol Rafael Nadal, to have the Montenegrin against the ropes.

Five break points came and went for Swiatek, with Kovininc desperately seeking an escape, but after 17 minutes of being on the back foot, the world No.95 finally relented to fall 2-0 down.

A hold to love in a flash and it looked probable the Pole was racing towards another ‘bagel’ set (she has already delivered 15 of those this season).

Not quite. At 4-2, 40-0 up came Swiatek’s first true test. The 20-year-old completely lost her timing on the forehand wing, surrendering five consecutive points and her serve.

Utilising her champion’s mentality, which has yielded five straight titles coming into Paris, Swiatek broke back to love, held to love and those eight points snatched away the opener in a flash.

That dominance remained in similar fashion in the second set, as the top seed went up a double-break 4-1.

Kovinic, however, started to swing freely, knocking Swiatek off balance and posting a vital break.

The confidence was coursing at 3-4, breaking to love with some canny angles and a sumptuous forehand drop shot. Another sturdy hold, Kovinic had wrestled away the initiative with 16 of the previous 20 points to edge 5-4 ahead.

How would the 2020 champion respond? Emphatically is the answer, zipping through three games to overcome her sternest examination so far.

Key stats

Swiatek is a self-confessed perfectionist, so she won’t be thrilled by three breaks of serve and an unusually off-beat 5 of 10 conversion on her own break opportunities.

The laser-beam groundstrokes lost their path on several occasions, going into a negative ratio 13-23 in terms of winners and unforced errors. Scarily for her rivals, there’s plenty to work on for the Pole.

Still, 20 straight sets, 31 successive wins, Swiatek marches on.

What the players said

"I wanted to play really aggressively but sometimes I feel I was putting too much power and it was pretty hard to control it when I was playing full speed. I needed to play with a little less risk and try to be more consistent,” stated Swiatek.

"She did a pretty good job of defending and giving back at full speed. She was serving really precisely, it was a little tricky, but I have played with some heavy hitters already, it was just pretty hard to adjust at the beginning, I just had to switch the modes on my receiving.

Asked about gaining a fast start in Grand Slam matches, she said: “I feel like I can play more fearlessly later in the sets, but today I lost both the breaks. But playing well at the beginning is putting pressure on my opponents, which is pretty important for me.”

The Pole is determined to not be consumed by the talk and components of her winning streak, eager to banish any mid-match thoughts creeping in about an eventual loss.

“Well, they do (creep in), but I just try to focus on the stuff that actually is going to give me something. Thinking about all these stats, it's not really helpful,” she explained.

“I try to be really strict in terms of my thoughts and try to really focus on finding solutions.

“The biggest part of the job is to manage them properly and to really shift the focus on the right things. I think I did that pretty well, but they are there."

The 19-year-old Zheng was leading Alize Cornet 6-0, 3-0 before the French veteran was forced to retire. Ahead of their first meeting, Swiatek is already aware of the talent world No.74 Zheng possesses.

“I'm not really familiar, honestly. Because I didn't watch a lot of tennis during past couple of months, but I have heard some other players talking about her," said Swiatek.

“Even when she lost some matches, people were really telling that she has a talent. For now I'm going to prepare, for sure.”

rolandgarros.com

Iga Swiatek sprints to 30 wins in a row at French Open

 

Make it 30: Iga Swiatek's winning streak continued Thursday in the second round of the French Open with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over American Alison Riske.

Riske famously defeated Garbiñe Muguruza at the BNP Paribas Open in March from 6-0, 3-0 down, but there was no repeat to be had in Paris against the World No.1, though she did save three break points in the 10th game of the match to get on the board. She also saved match point at 6-0, 5-2 with a second-serve ace.

Swiatek hit 23 winners to 15 unforced errors in 61 minutes, and she lost just 10 points in seven service games. She improved to 3-0 against Riske with the victory, with all three wins coming on clay; they played in both Madrid and Rome last year.

Iga in the zone: Over the course of her winning streak, Swiatek has been on the record saying that she's been taking her matches just one point at a time. That mentality was on full display against Riske at the start of the second set.

After holding serve to lead 6-0, 1-0, Swiatek sat down in her chair, sipping from her water bottle and expecting a full changeover; she knowingly jumped up moments later after an amusing exchange with chair umpire Emmanuel Joseph, complete with a nearly literal spit-take.

Montenegro's Danka Kovinic will be Swiatek's next foe; after upsetting No.25 seed Liudmila Samsonova in Round 1, she matched her best-ever Grand Slam performance thanks to a 6-3, 7-5 win over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. Kovinic also reached the third round of the Australian Open earlier this year.

wtatennis.com

Iga Swiatek extends win streak with opening match win at Roland Garros

2020 champion put in a five-star performance to extend her match-winning streak to 29.

Iga Swiatek played to her world No.1 billing to ignite a Roland-Garros title charge with a 6-2, 6-0 opening-round win over qualifier Lesia Tsurenko on Monday.

The Pole dazzled the Court Philippe-Chatrier crowd in under an hour’s play to continue her remarkable run of form.

Swiatek, who arrived in Paris having collected five consecutive trophies this season, motored through for a second-round encounter with Alison Riske.

Story of the match

In the very first point, the 20-year-old arced a forehand cross-court winner onto the tramline to set the tone for a very efficient hour.

Swiatek was exploring all the angles and dimensions of the court, pinging a backhand down the line with masterful point construction.

In three games, with just two points lost, the top seed was playing top-drawer tennis.

Gasps of “oooh” and “aaah” from the stands greeted the Pole’s play, Swiatek claiming the longer rallies, conjuring up effective shots from deep, on the baseline, in transition and at net; it was simply all working.

A loose game at 5-1 gave world No.119 Tsurenko a glimmer of hope, but Swiatek switched back on instantly.

At 1-0 in the second set the 20-year-old Pole chased down a drop shot and angled a forehand shot to brush the baseline. Tsurenko raised her arms aloft, perplexed at how to tackle this mesmerising talent.

A cannonball forehand return winner clinched the fastest match of her season so far – just 54 minutes – a match that was a treat to watch.

Swiatek clearly enjoyed it too, scribbling on the broadcast camera, “Paris I’ve missed you,” alongside a love heart.


Key stats

Obviously the most mind-boggling stat is Swiatek notching up a 29th straight victory. In doing so the 20-year-old also collected a 14th set with a 6-0 scoreline this season.

Swiatek was eager to apply the pressure on return and her crisp striking was rewarded by claiming 28 of 40 receiving points, creating the spark for six breaks of serve.

What the players said

Swiatek speaking to three-time champion Mats Wilander: “I love playing here, even though the last couple of days have been rainy and pretty dark. Paris has this vibe.

“I’m pretty glad that I could find my rhythm. Today was a pretty good match for me.

“I just want to keep going, I’m aware some day my streak may stop, so I’m working every day to be 100 per cent focused on my tennis and not on stats or some numbers. I’m focused on being in a bubble, which will help me to stay consistent. I’ve been doing that the past few weeks and I’ll keep doing that here."

It’s now time for the world No.1 to relax after a solid day at the office...

“I’m pretty happy I’ve finished early. Maybe we’ll go somewhere in Paris to see something. You’re going to see on my Insta story if you’re interested.” Stay tuned!

rolandgarros.com

Iga Swiatek playing with house money at the French Open

PARIS -- If the 2022 season were to end today, Iga Swiatek wouldn't be sweating it. On every possible metric, he year has been a success regardless of what happens going forward. It's a perspective the World No.1 is keeping in mind as she puts her 28-match winning streak on the line at Roland Garros.


Inside Swiatek's rise: Blistering forehands and unmatched aggression

"I don't have any like goals set [like] reaching semifinal or a final," Swiatek told reporters at Media Day at the French Open. "I'm aware that this streak is something that may be coming to an end soon, so I don't want to be heartbroken when it's going to happen. I think being aware of that is pretty healthy.

"So I'm just going to again take it match-by-match, as I did at previous tournaments, and we'll see, honestly. I don't mind, because I already have so much points and I'm pretty happy with the last tournaments that I think this season is already a success for me."

A champion at Roland Garros in 2020, Swiatek has won the past five tournaments she's played, four of them at the WTA 1000 level. In March, she became the youngest player to win the Sunshine Double, in Indian Wells and Miami, and the first player to win the first three WTA 1000 events of the season. In fact, the only 1000 tournament she didn't win was the one she didn't play, when she opted out of the Mutua Madrid Open.

It's easy to forget Swiatek already has a Slam semifinal under her belt this season. In January, she reached the final four in Melbourne, where she fell in Danielle Collins in straight sets.

"It is a completely different chapter because then I was just focused on improving my game on hard court," Swiatek said. "Semifinal was a great achievement for me and pretty solid, I showed a pretty solid game.

"But also, it shows that at the beginning of the season, semifinal was a great success. It's nice to remember what kind of goals I had at the beginning. So I'm not going to right now really be crazy and say that I'm only going to be happy if I win, because that's not true."

But that was then.

On Friday, during Ons Jabeur's media day press conference, Swiatek quickly interrupted the Tunisian's interview to retrieve her water bottle from under the dais. Not missing a beat, Jabeur quipped "So they asked me how to beat you. Can you answer them? I couldn't find an answer."

Swiatek looked at her water bottle. "Probably pour something in here," Swiatek replied, jokingly.

That's the vibe surrounding Swiatek at the moment, both within the locker room and Swiatke herself. She's earned it that respect and belief the hard way.

"I'm more relaxed, because as I was saying, I have so many points and I feel like my position in WTA, I have worked for it," Swiatek said. "I proved to myself and to other people that I can be at the top of the game. Before, I wasn't feeling that much confidence. So this year I feel much more peace."

    wtatennis.com